Obesity in young adults would cause memory loss
What did you eat at noon? A simple question, which we hear almost every day. And that’s the black hole. Lunch does not come back to your mind. What is going on? And if it’s simply because you’ve eaten too much!
Researchers at the University of Cambridge in England recently madean astonishing discovery. They established a relationship between memory loss, BMI (Body Mass Index) and its impact on diet. More specifically, people with obesityare more likely to forget their last meal, and therefore compensate by eating more at subsequent meals.
An amazing study
To reach these conclusions, the researchers conducted a study whose results were published in the Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology(1). 50 volunteers, whose BMI ranged from 18 to 31 (i.e. between normal body size and moderate obesity) participated in the research. They were asked to perform a memorization test. This consisted of hiding different objects on a computer screen at different times and in different virtual places. All they had to do was remember where they had hidden the objects, what objects they had hidden, and when.
The results
The exercise seems simple on paper. But the results do not say the same. Indeed, it was found thatpeople with obesity had a score decreased by 15% compared to others.
Dr. Lucy Checke, lead author of the study, explains that having a high Body Mass Index helps reduce episodic memory. Of course, this does not mean having memory lapses and amnesia. But she adds that the line between forgetting objects on a computer screen and forgetting about a previous meal is thin. The Doctor specifies that if people have difficulty memorizing their previous meals, they will havemore difficulty regulating their food intake at subsequent meals, and would therefore consume in larger quantities.
In summary, having episodic memory problems would push us into the vicious circle of overweight and obesity, leading us to consume larger food portions. There is no ageto work your memory.
Stephen Paul is the lead author and founder of My Health Sponsor. Holder of a diploma in health and well-being coaching with more than 200 articles in the field of health, he makes it a point of honor to offer advice based on reliable information, based on scientific research, and verified by health professionals.